Hollow-ground safety razor blade and sharpener



Sept. 16, 1941. F. E. MGKEE 2,256,032

HOLLOW-GROUND SAFETY RAZOR BLADE AND SHARPENER Filed July 6, 1959 IN V EN TOR.

kaM/f. W /CLz/ Patented Sept. 16, 1941 UNITED STATES 1 PATENT OFFICE Frank E. McKee, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application July 6, 1939, Serial No. 283,006

3 Claims.

My invention relates to blades and Sharpeners for safety razors employing a standard hollow ground blade section together with a blade holder. My device could be combined with a honing and stropping guide and reversible sharpening element.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a device of this character which is positive in action, simple and inexpensive in construction; new, novel and easily manipulated; which is strong, durable, reliable and of life time utility; which has nothing to get out of order and is eflicient for the purposes for which it is intended; to provide a blade holder with screw clamping action for gripping longitudinally the ends of the hollow ground blade instead of the back as now in use; to provide a blade holder of a thickness less than that of the back of the blade so that the holder does not touch the hone or strop when the blade is in the proper position for sharpening, thus permitting the back of the blade to rest on the sharpening element to maintain the proper angle for the bevel of the cutting edge.

With these and other objects in View my invention consists of the construction, novel features and combination of parts herein more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying onesheet drawing and pointed out in the claims hereto appended. Various changes in the form, proportion, size, shape, weight and minor details of construction, within the scope of my invention maybe resorted :to without departing from the spirit or broad principle of my invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 isa top view of the blade holder; Fig. 2 is a side View of the blade holder, the handle partly broken away, a blade, partly in section and the skewed disk; Fig. 3 is a partial section on the line B6 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 'l! of Fig. 2.

Like reference numbers refer to like parts in all the figures of the drawing.

One embodiment of my invention is shown as follows: the blade holder l is provided with a composite handhold 2, a movable jaw 3 and a fixed jaw 4. The hollow ground razor blade 5 is clamped between jaws 3 and 4 by the crossed grooves l2 milled into the ends of a the said blade 5. The adjusting arm 6 reciprocates the movable jaw 3 by means of the knurled adjusting nut l at the extreme end of the hand hold 2. At 8, I provide a reduced section of hand hold 2 for reciprocating the blade holder I through the rectangular guide sleeve 14 of skewed disk l3. The curve at H serves as a stop to the forward movement of the said holder I. Sheath 9 encloses filler guide l0 and adjusting arm 6 and extends in modified form from end to end of the blade sheath 9 forming a part of the said jaws.

holder I prefer to make the said sheath 9 of sheet-brass or the like and the adjustable arm 3 and filler guide iii of steel or other suitable material.

As seen in Fig, 4, I provide the said two milled grooves I2 and I2 at right angles to one another in both ends of the thick back of blade 5 as slotsfor the clamping jaws 3 and 4. Talons 3'2 on jaw 3 and talons 33 on jaw 4 are formed by the recessed archs 34 and 35 in the enclosing The said talons seat in .the horizontal milled groove l2 on each side of the vertical milled groove H, the latter being the seat for the upward extension to of adjusting arm 6 at jaw 3 and the extreme reduced end 4! of filler guide In at jaw 4. As bestseen in Figs. 1 and 2 an extension 33 on filler guide Ill seats in annular groove 39 on the nut,

1 to adjustably anchor the said nut 'l on the hand hold 2 to reciprocate jaw 3 by means of.

threaded connection 32. At 39 the arched hump extension on adjusting arm 6 between jaws 3 and 5 seats in a coacting longitudinal groove 3! in the back of blade 5. This construction provides a vise-like grip for the blade 5 against any slipping while the blade is being sharpened.

When sharpening blade 5, the back and the cutting edge 3'! thereof are brought in contact with the upper surface of the sharpening element at one end thereof, the said blade being secured in the blade holder I, directed at the proper angle, is moved longitudinally. When the opposite end of the sharpening element is reached, the blade is reversed by turning the holder I over on the rounded edge of the enclosing sheath 9, the blade then pointing in a.

direction opposite to that at the start. The blade is moved longitudinally on the return stroke to the starting end of the sharpening element, reversed as before when it will be in position for another cycle of movement.

It is well understood by cutlers that for the honing of devices such as hollow ground razor blades, the cutting edge is in advance as the blade is moved across the hard, abrasive, un-

of the back of the blade so that both the back and cutting edge of the blade are always in direct contact with the sharpening element. The

angle of bevel of the said cutting edge 31 re-' ferred to the transverse axis of the blade (Fig. 4) is very small as shown by line 26 when the thin holder grips the ends of the back of the razor blade. When a heavy blade holder clamps over the back of the blade from the side this angle may be nearly doubled as shown by line 21 and this causes the cutting edge to become blunt and materially reduces the efliciency of 2.

hollow ground blade. Also, since these clamps for holding the blade are frictional gripping defor co-acting with the hump of the adjusting arm against displacement of the blade, a filler guide for the adjusting arm and an enclosing sheath vices, the person using them is confronted with the problem of forcinga bare blade into a strong, close-fitting holder and this frequently results in severe cuts. Nosuch hazard is possible with my blade holder as I use a screw clamping action and not friction. Again, since these frictional side gripping devices must be made to very close dimensions a slight deviation in size of blades make them useless as they have no means of adjustment for varying sizes.

With some practice these cycles of honing and stropping can be performed very rapidly and the blade given a keen cutting edge in a few min,- utes. J A properly made hollow ground razor blade is very. thin for one-third or more of its width 36 (Fig. 4) back from the cutting edge 31 and the said edge 31 can be, for that reason, easily and quickly sharpened. Even a novice at razor blade sharpening will, after some practice, learn'the angle and stroke to give the blade.

The method of constructing and assembling theblade holder I is. clearly shown in Fig. 2 wherein the rivets 28 grip the enclosing sheath 9 againstthe filler guide I which permits the free reciprocation of adjusting arm 6 within the sheath thus formed. Rivet Z9 grips a continuation of the said sheath 9 to the upward extension 4110f arm 6 which together with talons 32 and recessed arches 34 form the end gripping means of movable jaw 3 for holding blade rigidly.

for the said arm and said filler guide.

2, In a hollow ground razor blade sharpening device of" the class described, a holder for the A similar detail obtains at fixed jaw 4 where rivet 28 secures the corresponding parts of members 9, 1,3 3, 35and 4|. While for purposes of this specification I have designated the use of rivets as fastening means, in actual production of my blade holder I may prefer spot-welding, soldering or the equivalent in lieu of rivets.

The solid 'hollow ground razor blade has been in use for generations. Barbers everywhere still use and will continue to use the hollow ground blade for the best close shaving results. The old style, long, straight handled razor of this type requires special skill in sharpening not possessed by the ordinary private man. handle used in shaving is also the same handle used in sharpening, the bare blade being held against the sharpening element. My new blade holder operates in the same manner, allows the bare blade to contact the hone or strop. This feature, together with the guides, makes it possiblefor the ordinary busy man to keep his own razor'in condition to give barber-shop results. My device with one blade or two for emergencies,'will last a life time as there is nothing to wear out and be replaced such as electric motors, cords, cutting heads and the like. My blade will be used with a suitable handle but it forms no part of this application.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim: as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I 3

1. In a hollow ground razor blade sharpener of the class described, a blade holder comprising a hand hold, a movable jaw and a fixed jaw for The said blade, a composite hand hold thereon, \a fixed and a movable jaw on the holder for longitudinally gripping the blade, a hollow ground razor blade having in the ends of its thick back member milled cross-grooves at right angles, to one another for cooperating with the said gripping jaws, an'adjusting arm for the movable jaw,

knurled nut and screw means for reciprocating the arm and movable jaw, an arched hump on the adjusting arm between the twojaws, the said blade having a longitudinal milled groove in the back thereof for coacting with the said hump of the adjusting arm against lateral displacement, a filler guidefor the adjusting arm, an enclosing sheath for the adjusting arm and filler guide, a reduced section on the said holder adjacent the fixed jaw having an arcuate stop. opposite the fixed jaw, the said knurled nut having an annular groove at its inner end and an extending hook on the extreme outer end of the filler guide for seatingin the said annular groove for adjustably anchoring the knurled nut.

3. In a hollow ground razor blade sharpening device of the class described, a holder for the said blade, a composite hand hold thereon,1a fixed and a movable jaw on the holder for longitudinally gripping the blade, a hollow ground razor blade having in the ends of its thick back member milled cross-grooves at right angles to one another for cooperatingcwith the said gripping jaws, and adjusting arm for the movable jaw, knurled nut and screw means for reciproeating the arm and movable jaw, an arched hump on the adjusting arm between the two jaws, the said blade having a longitudinal milled groove in the back thereof for coacting with the said hump of the adjusting arm against lateral displacement, a filler guide for the adjusting arm, an enclosing sheath for the adjusting arm and filler guide, -a reduced section on the said holder adjacent the fixed jaw having an arcuate: stop opposite the fixed jaw, the said movable jaw being uniform in height with the reduced section, an upward extension on the adjusting arm at the movable jaw, an enclosing sheath for the 'said extension having recessed arches on both sides thereof, talons formed on the said sheath above the arches, the said talons being adapted to seat in one of the milled cross-grooves of the blade, the said upward extension adapted for seating in the other of the said milled grooves, recessed arches forming talons on the said enclosing sheath of the reduced section at the said fixed jaw, the extreme end of filler guide to.- gether with the talons co-act with the said milled cross grooves in the said blade to grip the same against the vertical and horizontal movement, the thickness of the said jaws thus formed being less than that of the back of the blade.

FRANK E. MCKEE. 7 

